1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to upgrading potable water wells and more particularly to converting ‘below-ground’ pump installations to ‘above-ground’ installations.
2. Description of the Related Art
Potable water wells have become the focus of the public's attention in Canada over the past year as a result of the tragedy in Walkerton, Ontario in the spring of 2000. The Provincial Government of Ontario has regulations to ensure the public has access to clean drinking water. There have been similar events over the past several years which have made this an important public policy issue across North America.
Clean drinking water comes from a number of sources, including drilled wells. For many years, the drilled well has been installed “below-ground”. Not to be confused with the below ground source of water itself, the term “below-ground” herein below is intended to refer to those installations where the well casing has an upper end which itself is below the ground surface, for example four to six feet below the ground surface. The well casing is usually located in a well chamber which can be, for example, a cement casing or a corrugated steel casing, either of a size sufficient to allow a well installer to join the pump line to a water supply line above the surface of the well casing but which is below the surface of the ground. This below-ground configuration is commonly used in northern climates where pump lines are located a sufficient depth below the ground surface to protect them from freezing.
Though sufficient under earlier regulations, this below ground installation arrangement has not met government regulations for some time. It is common to adapt these below ground well installations to an “above-ground” version, using a generally unsatisfactory technique. It requires that an installer climb down into the typically cramped well chamber and first disassemble the well pump line from the water supply line. The installer must then weld a well casing extension onto the upper exposed end of the well casing with an arc welder. The well casing upper end is often rough or poorly cut to begin with, often requiring a grinding step. It is difficult, if not impossible, to form a tight joint between the well casing upper end and the well casing extension. This increases the risk that the weld seam is not water tight and raises the risk that ground water outside the well casing may enter through the seam causing contamination.
A hole is then formed in the welded casing to accommodate a “pitless” adaptor. The pitless adaptor is a commonly used pump line adaptor that is commercially available through Canadian Plumbing and Pump dealers. Often, the pitless adaptor hole is simply cut with a cutting torch, similarly making it different form a tight seal, thereby presenting a similar risk of unwanted exterior ground water through the poor seal into the well casing.
Furthermore, the welding operation is very dangerous. The installer is usually squeezed into the cramped space with an arc welder. The well chamber is either damp or wet, significantly increasing the risk if electrocution. The welding operation can therefore involve extended periods in a confined space with relatively poor air quality. Once this relatively difficult and dangerous procedure is completed, the well chamber is then filled in and the above-ground exposed end of the well casing extension is capped in a normal fashion.
Consequently, there remains the need for an improved method for converting “below-ground” well installations to “above-ground” installations. It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel method for doing so.